Dumb New Trend: Dudes Are Dropping Hella Cash on Elaborate Proposals

In the age of the viral proposal video, dudes are feeling pressure to measure up to the live-action lip dubbers and fake movie trailer creators who’ve made headlines in recent years. And according to a recent article in the New York Post, they’re dropping mad stacks on elaborate proposals in hopes of meeting the bar.

Take Josh Ogle, for example. Here’s how the Post describes his fancy proposal to now-fiancee Nataliya Lavryshyn:

“The sun was setting on the rooftop of the McKittrick Hotel, home of the interactive play “Sleep No More,” when Nataliya Lavryshyn and Josh Ogle proclaimed their love for one another last year.

Pages from Pablo Neruda’s love poems were scattered about, and the pair held hands while Ogle slid a $21,000 diamond ring onto Lavryshyn’s left hand, as a small crowd looked on. Afterward, a 1932 Hupmobile whisked them away to the posh restaurant Daniel, where they had dinner in the exclusive skybox, served by executive chef Daniel Boulud.

The next day, the couple jetted off to Greece and France for two weeks, where they stayed in private villas and honeymoon suites.

The whole shebang cost roughly $45,000.”

While Ogle may be an extreme example – according to the Daily Mail, dude seriously hired Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Kelly Guenther, along with a videographer and a professional storywriter, to “document the event” – he’s not alone in his desire to turn what’s traditionally been considered a special but intimate moment into a public spectacle, to the tune of thousands of dollars. This article provides several more examples of guys who’ve spent hella cash to ask for their special lady’s hand in marriage.

Unsurprisingly, this growing trend has created another cog in the machine that is the wedding-industrial complex: proposal planning services. Companies like HowHeAsked, Brilliant Event Planning and The Proposers are all happy to take your guy’s money in exchange for planning, organizing and executing an over-the-top proposal that’ll change your life (and get you on the front page of Reddit).

These perfectly planned proposals don’t come cheap. Sarah Pease, event planner and owner of Brilliant Event Planning, says her services cost at least $2,000 and often much more. Of course, that doesn’t include the cost of booking a venue, hiring interpretive dancers, paying someone to fold a thousand paper cranes or whatever other ridiculous crap is required for a fancy-ass “will you marry me?” moment.

Sure, proposal planning services can probably still be filed under Wacky Stuff Rich People Buy Because They Can. Most guys are probably still going with old chestnuts like the ring in the champagne or the Jumbotron spectacle or – God forbid – just asking. But the fact that these services exist is indicative of our weird modern obsession with the “special daaaaaaaaay.”

I mean, isn’t it funny how weddings, honeymoons and proposals are getting more expensive as divorce rates continue to creep upward? I know, I know, correlation doesn’t equal causation. But it’s still an interesting observation, no? There’s no denying that our culture is straight-up nuts for all things wedding – the abundance of wedding-related TV shows and proposal videos are a testament to that. But what about the marriage – you know, that thing that comes afterward? That thing that’s supposed to last decades as opposed to a wedding’s one day?